After so many cancelled and exclusively online events this year, an in-person boat show from any source is significant news. When said show is the 61st Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), professionals and enthusiasts alike no doubt find themselves brimming with excitement. According to FLIBS, the event is running as planned; a quick visit to their homepage greets one with a countdown ticker and an RSVP for tickets.
How does the largest in-water boat show in the world plan to combat COVID spread during the October 28-November 1 run? Their website mentions implementation of AllSecure standards, a set of ten commitments including enhanced cleaning, personal distancing, screening, and trace and contact measures. Pathways will be designated with one-way-only walkthroughs, and City of Fort Lauderdale capacity limits will be in effect. All aspects seem standard for a 2020 event, but the question remains: how will show organizers pull this weekend off?
As we move toward autumn and an impending flu season, plans may change. No doubt the typical “100,000+” attendees and “1,000+” vendors touted on FLIBS’ website – impressive numbers, to be sure – will see vast reductions for this year. Yet in the “Yachting Capital of the World”, as their website describes Fort Lauderdale, watercraft bring the community together in a special way. FLIBS describes this year’s display as including “runabouts, sportfishers, high performance boats, center consoles, cabin cruisers, flats boats, skiffs, express cruisers, sailing yachts, motor yachts, bowriders, catamarans, ski boats, jet boats, trawlers, inflatables, canoes, and extraordinary superyachts”. Such a lineup is as strong as it is varied; the intrigue within our own Canadian audiences is an indication of just how far FLIBS’ impact reaches.
Stay with Center Console Life for your updates going forward. If something changes with the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, you’ll hear it from us.